Ditch Those Rotten Bananas! Here’s How to Keep Them Fresh for Longer

If you’re a produce-lover like me, listen up! How many times have you bought a bundle of bananas only to have the last couple turn from beautiful yellow to bruised brown overnight? It’s always unfortunate to have to throw out food, so today we’ve got an awesome tip for you that will help you keep those bananas ripe for up to a week!

Our tip comes from the exuberant YouTuber Simon Whistler over at the channel Today I Found Out. Now, let’s just say that this guy is really excited about this discovery. He uses some pretty big words at a ridiculously fast clip, so I broke all of that pertinent information down for you below. Here’s how to get your bananas to stay at the perfect ripeness for longer:

Stick the bundle in your fridge!

Cassie Lee | Flickr

I know, I know, prior to learning this helpful tip, I too thought that bananas and fridges didn’t mix. It turns out, though, the pair really do work well together! The trick here is to introduce the two when the bananas are at your perfect stage of ripeness—yellow and unbruised for me! If you add them to the fridge too early or too late, then the trick just won’t work!

Ignore that black peel!

gazclark | Flickr

OK, so I’ll be honest with you; this tip does have a bit of a dark side to it. Once you place the bananas in the refrigerator, the ripening process will, in fact, slow, but the peel will end up not looking so appetizing.

Nevertheless, the taste should reflect its most optimal stage of ripeness, and the banana itself should separate from the peel both mellow yellow and unscathed! If you don’t want to eat a cold banana, leave it out for 30 to 60 minutes in order to let it thaw first.

How’s that for a simple (and delicious!) two-step process?

Now, this tip—like all of the other great ones—does, unfortunately, carry some small caveats. For one, it’s very important to be well-acquainted with the level of ripeness that you prefer, because once they go in the fridge, they shouldn’t be taken out until consumed, or the process just won’t work. So, if you like it when your bananas are unblemished, throw those suckers in the cold right away to preserve that taste you love!

Additionally, the bundle will only stay good for UP TO seven days in the fridge. This isn’t necessarily a guarantee, and now that the peel has darkened due to the cold temperatures, it’s impossible to tell whether or not the banana is still good judging by its color alone. Let’s just say that this tip works great, but don’t rely too heavily on that seven-day marker.

If you’re not quite willing to shove your bananas in the fridge yet, then there are a couple of other solutions worthy of trying. To keep those bananas from ripening too fast, keep them away from other fruit, and even one another. If you buy bananas by the bundle, then separate them when you get home—you’ll be amazed at how much longer this healthy fruit lasts!

What do you think about this banana ripening tip? Do you have any of your own tricks to keeping fruit fresh that you would like to share? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!